In the sixties, the people of Mali awoke each morning to the sound of Boubacar "KarKar" Traoré's voice on the radio, singing of independence.

Everyone in Mali remembers having danced to his hits. But since his music was only played on the radio, he didn't earn enough money to live on and he had to stop playing music to work as a tailor and a salesman to feed his family.

A few years later, he is dealt a cruel blow: his beloved wife, Pierrette dies. Disoriented, KarKar leaves for France, working in construction, and singing at weekends in the Parisian immigrant shelters that are now his home.

In Mali, everybody thinks that KarKar is dead. Years later, a music producer discovers an old recording of his…

A film by Jacques Sarasin

France, 2002, documentary, 1h20, portrait / music

Director: Jacques Sarasin
Cinematographer: Stephan Oriach, myriapodus@fr.europost.org
Sound engineer: Philippe Lecocq
Editor: Bernard Josse, b.josse@laposte.net
Sound mixer: Jean-Guy Véran, Mac Tari mactari@wanadoo.fr
Second crew: Bernard Josse, David Ritt, Eric Sosso
Sound effects: Patrick Egreteau
Timer: François Montpellier
Translaters: Youssouf Tata Cissé & Samuel Young
Bogolan: Sambou Traoré
Assistant CNP : Ibrahima Touré
Driver: Lassana Doumbia